Monster World
by LovaAtHeart
Summary: The "monsters are real" concept that's plagued many a fiction- but never quite like this. Ladies and gentlemen, years in the making, I present to you... Monster World. Dun-dun-dun.
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

The rain pounded upon the roof of the White House as the president slumped in his chair. He looked at his watch. 3:00. Only an hour before the meeting. He sighed and went back to examining the papers before him. They were scattered amongst the desk in a completely disorganized pile. The rest of the room was dark, but in contrast to the desk, very organized and colorful. Let's see, the president thought. I've got another meeting this Friday with…

CRACK.

Startled, he swung up his head and frantically looked around. Nothing. He was imagining things, it seems. But, no, he had this odd feeling something was going to happen. Something important. He didn't know what it was, it was just there. He shook his head and went back to the paperwork.

CRACK.

He jumped again, this time to find a man standing in front of him. He wore an odd costume, like none he had ever seen.

"President Joseph Arthur, I assume?" Arthur nodded slowly. He needed to act strong. Who was this guy? CIA? FBI?

"I understand why you're speechless. It's alright; I have not come to hurt you. I have come to bring a message."

"Who sent you? What message?"

"I've come to inform you of another dimension."

"Another…? Alright, what is this? Who's pulling this prank? If this is you, Norden, I'm going to…" He paused for a moment and thought. This is probably a test to see how fast I crack, he thought. And, if I keep doing this, I'll have failed. Just keep calm, whatever you do.

"Tell me of this different dimension."

"You're skeptical, aren't you?"

"Of course not," Arthur lied, "I haven't heard enough about this other world to be skeptical about. Please, go on."

"I doubt that," he smirked. The man eyed him darkly and went on, "this other dimension is… how do I put this… You know the card game, Duel Monsters?"

This confused Arthur. Duel Monsters? That was nothing more than a children's card game his son played. "Yes," he said to the odd-looking man.

"The monsters of that game… they are real. They reside in this other dimension."

Arthur couldn't help but burst out laughing. Even if it was a test by the government, he couldn't help it. He's supposed to handle ridiculous stories, but this… this was on another level. This was even more ridiculous than the "applesauce makes people gay" debate that went on for two years. This was beyond ridiculous; in fact, it crossed the line of fantasy.

"Alright, alright, you got your laughs," the president said as he finally calmed down, "now can I get back to work? I have a meeting in an hour and I need to-"

"I didn't come here for laughs." Arthur looked at the man. How far were they going to take this? And why did he say something so cliché?

"Look, I'm sorry to spoil your fun, but I've really got to work for the meeting, so could you come back another time?"

"No." The man just stood there with a dark face. Arthur started to get irritated.

"Okay, this is going too far. Security!"

Two men ran in from outside of the room and pointed their guns. Arthur started to sweat as he saw that they were pointing at him instead of the mysterious man.

"W-What is… What did…"

"They're possessed. Look closer." He did so and saw that their eyes were green. That was odd, since they were usually brown and blue. He turned his head to the man again and pulled a pistol from his drawer. He pointed it at the tall man and took a deep breath.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?"

"I'd put that gun down if I were you."

The man turned his head to the two security guards, whose guns were perfectly aimed at the president. Maybe they wore green contacts… yeah, and this was all part of a huge prank. But wouldn't they stop it once he brought his gun out?

"I asked you a question. Who are you?"

"I am from the other dimension. We call it… Monster World."

"…Monster World."

"Yes."

"That has got to be the most unoriginal name I have ever heard."

"But it fits, does it not?"

Arthur considered commenting on that, but he changed his mind when he remembered the two guards who could kill him with the pull of a trigger.

"May I sit down?"

"Y-Yes…" Arthur stuttered. The man sat down in the chair on the other side of the desk, and Arthur could now see him better. He was dressed like that one monster card… what was it called…

"Thank you," the man said. "Now, this other dimension, in it lives monsters, like I said. Not spells, not traps, monsters. Some monsters can activate traps and spells, but this is somewhat rare and requires a lot of power to use often.

"They have no names, other than what they are. All Dark Magicians are called Dark Magician, all Ryu Senshis Ryu Senshi, etc. I don't know why they do this, and I'd change this if I could control it. The only exception is that some seem to have nicknames, which are basically shortened versions of their monster names. Yes, there are plenty of each species, with rare exceptions."

"But they're unassociated with us, right?" President Arthur said, "They're in a completely different dimension, so we have nothing to do with them, right?"

"Usually, yes," said the mysterious man. "Holograms are holograms, and nothing more. However, a monster by the name of Jinzo has created something remarkable. It's a chip that can be injected into the body. With it, monsters can be transported to Human World."

"What?"

"My apologies. Human World is what we call your dimension. We like to keep things simple."

"So I've noticed."

The man gave him sort of a sneer. "I wouldn't be talking like that in your situation."

"But you're not in my situation, are you, now?"

"I am not, and am glad because." There were a few moments of silence, and then Arthur spoke.

"Hold it- you're telling me that Maximillion Pegasus magically knew of this other dimension, even though he's been under the surveillance of his bodyguards for most of his life?"

"Of course not."

"…Then what _are_ you telling me?"

"I'm telling you that the Egyptians knew about Monster World, and Pegasus knew about the Egyptians. Only two people actually know of Monster World now- well, besides you- and one of them is the famous Yugi Moto."

"And the other one?"

"What about them?"

"Who is it?"

"That's not important."

"It is to me."

"Well, it shouldn't be."

Arthur sighed. "This is ridiculous. Do you have any proof? If not, than I can consider this entire conversation a waste of time."

"Are the guards not proof enough?"

"Please. You hired them to pose like that and put in colored contacts. They know I won't shoot, so they're not worried." He didn't know if he meant that, but he still wanted for this all to be fake.

"I see. How about this?"

The man lifted his arm and started to say something under his breath. His arm started to glow as a small pool of dark aura was created on the ground next to him. Out of the pool of darkness came another man, one who Arthur immediately recognized.

"D-Dark Ruler Ha Des…"

"Yes. He came from the ground. I don't think humans can do that. Is that proof enough?"

"Y-You… it… I…" He started to stumble and held onto the table for balance. "What do you want from me? Why are you here?" He held his gun up higher, and his hands were shaking.

The man smiled. "That is where the most important part of my message comes into play."


	2. Chapter 1: The Battle Team

**CHAPTER 1**

THE BATTLE TEAM

The clock said 2:59. Only a minute left. The teacher, Ms. Lady (Harpy Lady), had logged on to her computer and was finishing a letter to the faculty staff. Buster Blader was frantically taking notes in hope to finish in time, while Dark Magician had already completed it ten minutes earlier and was now waiting impatiently for class to end. Dark Magician Girl, also finished, stared at the clock while sticking a piece of gum under her desk.

And, alas, the bell rang. Rushing, Blader threw all of his stuff together as fast as he could while Dark Magician slowly got up behind him. He and Dark Magician Girl waited for Blader, and then the three of them left the room together.

"Hey, DM," Blader said as they left the classroom, "could I borrow your notes again? I need to study if I want to-"

"Here you go," Dark Magician naturally responded as he handed him a piece of paper, "I've already made a copy for you. Kinda figured you wouldn't finish again. I might as well just take the notes for you."

"Thanks, man, you're a lifesaver." He took the paper from him and stuffed it in his unorganized backpack. Papers were falling out and work from two years before was still in there. Dark Magician sighed.

"Hey, Blader, want to come to my house?"

"Yeah, thanks. My mom's probably working again."

"Wait!"

As the three were starting to walk back, they heard the yell. They looked behind them to see a man running behind them. They saw him as one of the school faculty.

"Oh, hey, Mr. Swordsman," Blader said as, sure enough, the running man came to be revealed as a Flame Swordsman. Swordsman stopped by them and took a breath.

"Hey, just the people I wanted to see. Magic, do you mind?" Dark Magician Girl shook her head and left the rest of them. The two of them stared at her for a couple moments, then snapped out of it and looked back at Swordsman.

"Thank you," he said, "now, isn't it a wonderful day today?"

The two groaned. He always got distracted when he talked, or at least when he was in a nervous position. It's like he had ADD or something.

"Er, sorry," he said, "to the point, right. Now, you two, I'm sure you know, are quite strong. I'd have to say the strongest in Moto Academy."

Both smiled and said a simple thank you, then let him carry on. "I want the two of you to join the Battle Team." This didn't really come as a shock to them; they knew it was bound to happen. Swordsman was the sponsor of the Battle Team, which was basically a brutal team that required practice three hours a day, five days a week, and Saturdays for matches against other schools. But why now, just at the start of their junior year in high school?

"I'm sorry, but I'm not so much of a fighter," Dark Magician said, and it was true. He never found interest in fighting- he thought it was pointless, really. What was the point of a bunch of buff guys beating the insides out of each other?

"I see. And what about you, Blader?"

Blader didn't answer. He just stood there, thinking about it. This wasn't a small decision, after all. The Battle Team required tons of effort and dedication.

"Blader, what are you doing?" DM whispered to him, "You shouldn't even have to think about this. Don't do it. You won't have any free time, whatsoever."

"I'll think about it. Can I tell you tomorrow?"

"But of course," Swordsman said, smiling.

"Thank you."

The two walked home- rather, DM's house. It basically was home to Blader, too.

"What are you thinking?" DM asked as he closed the door.

"I just might join the Battle Team."

"Idiot! Don't do that! Do you have any idea what that'll do to you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. I'll lose some spare time. Big deal."

"It _is_ a big deal! Time is precious, especially for you! And this isn't about spare time... Have you seen the other guys on the team? I mean, Summoned Skull, Vampire Lord… these guys aren't pushovers."

"Look, DM… Fighting… It's the only thing I'm good at. I mean, not to brag or anything, I'm one of, if not the, strongest one in the school. It's just… You're lucky. You get all A's, and you don't need to do anything. Me… I try, I really do. I stay up late studying. I have to. But… I bring home C's and D's, and once in a while, a B. I can't… I'm no good at that kind of thing. I can fight. I work out. I'm strong."

"Who cares? What'll the Battle Team do for you? How's it going to help in life? Really, it's just a waste of time."

"DM… It would be good for my resumé."

"_Resum_é_?_ Nobody's going to care that you were on a fighting team, not unless…"

There was a pause. DM stared at Blader, his eyes wide.

"Oh, no. You're not… You can't…"

"I think, when I graduate… _if_ I graduate… I'm going to join the military."

"You can't!" DM shouted, "You'll get yourself killed!"

"Maybe. I dunno. It's the only way I'll be able to make money."

"You have two jobs already, just get another one! Just… Just don't…"

"I'm a cashier and a painter. Not the most dignifying jobs, or the best paying. And I don't have time for a third job."

"Oh, and you have time for the Battle Team?"

"Listen to me. I can fight. I can fight really, really good. Not only will the military pay more than the two jobs I have combined, I'll be out of the house. That means less cost of food, and there's all my stuff to sell… Then there's the benefits. Do you have any idea how much that'll save us? It's perfect!"

"You realize, by leaving and joining the military, you'd be leaving your mom all alone, right?"

"I'll call every day. And… I'll need you to take care of her. You don't need to provide for her or anything, just… Just check up on her sometimes, you know? Make sure she's doing okay."

"I'm not going to be here to help you out forever, you know. I have a life too. What if I move? What if I get a huge job offer outside the city? What'll happen then? Should I turn it down just for you?"

"Well, no… I'll figure it out. I swear."

DM sighed. "…Look. If you're joining the Battle Team, I'll join too. You know I will. We'll go tell Mr. Swordsman tomorrow. Are you sure you want to do this?"

"Of course! Thanks, dude! You won't regret it."

DM sighed.

***

"Mr. Swordsman?"

Blader and DM were standing outside his office. It was kind of trashed- every time he tried to clean it, there would be some form of distraction. There were lines of trophies and medals across the walls, all of which, it seemed, from the Battle Team victories. They had a reputation to live up to.

"Uh, yes, please hold on a moment-" he put down the phone, "Blader! Just the person I wanted to see! Please, please, sit down. You too, DM."

The two said simple hellos and sat down.

"So? Are you interested?"

"Actually, we both are," DM said, cutting off Blader before he had a chance to talk.

"Really? Splendid! Why, this is fantastic! I'll sign you up right away! Oh, wait… You do have to try out to get in, I'm afraid. I highly doubt that's necessary, at least for you, Blader. I'm sure I could pull some strings-"

"You don't need to do that, Mr. Swordsman. I can try out for this position, just like everyone else."

"Then it's settled! I'll see you tomorrow, right after school! Come straight to the Coliseum!"

And, so, the next day, they walked into the arena they called the Coliseum. It was about the size of a high school football stadium. All of the bleachers that surrounded the field were empty, except for Mr. Swordsman, and a few teachers. The field itself was pretty basic- 150 yards from one side to another. Huge, 10-foot-tall rocks scattered the dirt field. Standing down there, actually on the field, made everything else seem that much bigger.

"So, who would like to go first?" Mr. Swordsman shouted from the stands.

"Actually, can we fight together? You can still grade us individually."

"Excellent idea, DM! We do support teamwork, after all, and it saves time!

Please, both of you, meet your opponent. He's an old friend of mine who volunteered to do this for us! Remember, keep it clean. Let's keep the blood to a minimum, shall we? Well, whenever you're ready!"

The two looked across the field to the monster on the other side. Their opponent was a Trap Master. He stood maybe four feet tall, almost invisible through the placement of the rocks. He had some unique qualities about him: he had a scar on his mask. He had a coat that seemed a little long on him.

He also had green eyes.


	3. Chapter 2: The Trap Master

CHAPTER 2

THE TRAP MASTER

"Challengers! Are you ready?"

Blader and DM nodded.

"And Trap Master- are you ready?"

Trap Master looked up to Swordsman and smiled.

"…I'll take that as a yes. Once again, I can't thank you enough for doing this. Anyways, let the match begin!"

Swordsman pointed his sword in the air, and flames shot out of it into the sky, signaling the start of the match. He sat back down and eagerly awaited the battle that was about to unfold. Ms. Lady, sitting next to him, gave him a worried look.

"Are you sure Trap Master was the best opponent for them?"

"I know they both are extraordinarily strong," Swordsman said, "so I want to see how well they work with strategy as well. No worries, this Trap Master doesn't have enough power to do much real harm anyway."

They both focused back onto the fight. Ms. Lady still had the worried face.

Meanwhile, on the field, DM and Blader stood there after the flames had shot up.

"So… now what?" Blader asked.

"Let's see… we know who we're facing. A Trap Master. We can't just go in recklessly, we have to think this through…"

"Thinking? I didn't join this team to think. What's there to think about?"

"Well, Trap Masters are different… They're weak, but they have amazing powers. They can pull traps on us, using their own power."

"Traps? What kinds of traps?"

"All kinds of traps. Come on, you know this, we learned it in Biology."

"Wait… I know this… I got it! Are those the guys that use their own energy to pull traps? Like, they can't use that much or else… You know what I mean."

"Yeah, they could pass out if they use too much. I've heard of some that died from using too powerful of a trap when they were too weak to use it. So, they don't use them unless it's absolutely necessary… I wonder why this one volunteered to fight us?"

"Huh… I dunno… Let's go find out."

"No! Don't… We can't run into this. We have to be quiet. See all the tall rocks? We'll hide behind those. They're meant for battles with three or more teams, but it'll work here."

The two snuck from behind one rock to another one. DM looked around to see if they had been spotted.

"Where'd he go?"

Blader stuck his head out from behind the rock as well. Where the Trap Master had once been, there was nothing but a cloud of dust.

"He's hiding too, idiot. What, you think he'd hit us head-on? No, he's luring us. He _is_ the Trap Master, after all."

They waited a moment, the air around them silent. Blader sighed, growing impatient.

"Ugh. This is boring. How are we going to win by sitting here?"

"Do you suppose we attack him? Might as well leave right now."

"Yeah, that's _exactly _what I suppose. If we're both waiting back, how is this fight supposed to go on?"

"Just stay here and keep-"

"No! This is driving me insane! I'm going for it."

DM, thinking, decided not to argue. Maybe he should… no, he couldn't do that. Blader really wanted this, he couldn't purposely lose. It would potentially save his life, but… Oh, well.

Meanwhile, Blader got up and ran. He had conjured a plan- he would trigger a trap, then DM could attack him from behind. He stopped in the middle of the field and looked around. Where was Trap Master? He had to be hiding somewhere. Irritated, he kept running in another direction.

Suddenly, he saw a figure pop out from behind a rock. Blader was able to stop himself before he hit him- actually, the figure (who he distinguished as Trap Master, of course) seemed to be a little far away.

"Got your timing a little off, do you, Trap Master?" Blader arrogantly said. Trap Master said nothing and just smiled. He put his hands in front of him in a position as if he were about to push someone. Then, he said one word.

Without giving Blader enough to so much as think about what he said, a blast shot out of his hands that soon reached Blader. The Mirror Force pinned him against a rock. Then, he fell to the ground, his head bleeding.

Startled, DM ran up to Blader and put his hand on his shoulder.

Swordsman and Ms. Lady stood up.

"Is he conscious?!" Ms. Lady shouted.

"Barely!" DM shouted from below.

"We've got to stop this now!" She turned to Swordsman.

"Definitely. Get them off the field. Trap Master… I don't know what got into you."

From below, Trap Master turned his head to Swordsman, still smiling. He walked up towards DM and stood in front of him. Blader struggled to get up, only to be knocked back again by Trap Master.

_It's not you I want_, he thought. _It's the magician._

DM sat at Blader's side, shifting looks back and forth between him and Trap Master. His breathing was heavy and sweat dripped down his face. He was truly scared.

"Dark Magician," Trap Master said, "I've waited a long time for this."

The ground collapsed under the two fighters, creating a deep hole beneath them. DM managed to hold on the edge while grasping Blader's hand.

"This isn't just a Trap Hole…" DM said to his partner, "This is bottomless!"

Trap Master looked down from the surface and just smiled. He raised his foot to crush DM's hand, when…

"Stop!" A Swordstalker security guard ran up towards the Trap Master and drew his sword. "Get down!"

"Wait," Swordsman said as he came up next to him. "Get Blader and DM out of here. I'll take Trap Master."

Swordstalker nodded and sheathed his sword. He then turned around and grabbed DM's arm, them pulled the two of them out of the hole. DM and Swordstalker carried Blader off the field.

"What about Swordsman? Will he be alright?" DM asked.

"He's done some crazy things before, and he turned out okay. He's the Battle Team sponsor for a reason."

Swordsman and Trap Master stared eye-to-eye as they circled each other.

"What happened to you?" Swordsman asked. "Why are you doing this?"

"I've seen the light," Trap Master replied. "I know my duty, and it's not you."

Well, whatever your duty is, it'll have to wait. Right now, I'm your duty."

"No, you're just annoying."

With that, Trap Master held out his arms muttered something under his breath, then the ground collapsed from under Swordsman. As soon as the dust cleared, Swordsman was out of sight, with just a hole where he used to be. Trap Master smiled.

"Did you really think that would work on me?"

Trap Master turned around to see Swordsman, just standing there, unharmed. He yelled and stretched out his arm, but before the words could leave his mouth, Swordsman had tackled him to the ground and put his sword at his throat.

"How did you do that? Three traps and more than enough power to use a fourth… within ten minutes? Two's usually enough to kill a man without rest in between… more importantly, why? Why are you doing this?"

"I've changed."

"There's a line between change and overhaul."

"Okay, I've overhauled."

Swordsman had a confused look as he stared at Trap Master's face.

"You're eyes… didn't they used to be…?"

Swordsman's eyes widened and opened his mouth to scream, but before he had the chance, Trap Master had released a Mirror Force and knocked Swordsman away at a grueling speed. He went through the wall and hit a table, falling on his side. Harpy Lady ran over to check his condition, and burst into tears.

"He's dead!"

"NO!"

DM tried to get out of the grasp of the Swordstalker as he was being dragged away, but it was in vain.

"LET GO OF ME!"

"We're getting out of here! You can't go back!"

There was no use. The Swordstalker's hold was almost impossible to escape. He had no choice but to give in.

"Oh, don't think I forgot about you, magician."

Without warning, the Trap Master had jumped in front of the Swordstalker and stuck out his hand. He started to mutter something under his breath, and DM held his breath.

WUUUURRRRRR.

Trap Master looked up to see where the sound had come from, only to find a black disc being hurled towards him. Smirking, he just laid a Mirror Force out on it- but to no effect. The disc broke through the Mirror Force and kept on zipping through the air. Finally, it struck Trap Master right through the head, and he fell to the ground. There was no doubt he was dead.

DM and Swordstalker stood and stared at the Trap Master and the black disc lying next to him in disbelief. Looking back, they saw a helicopter touch ground at about the center of the field. The door opened, and a tall, robotic figure stepped out.

"Who are you?" DM shouted.

The figure just said three words.

"I am Jinzo."


	4. Chapter 3: The Chopper

**CHAPTER 3**

**THE CHOPPER**

"J-Jinzo…?"

The security Swordstalker kept hold of the teary-eyed DM and the unconscious Blader. Lying by their feet was the head of Trap Master. The air was silent except for chopping of the helicopter. Jinzo walked down the ramp and toward the group. He picked up the head and looked at it.

"Ra bless," Jinzo said, then slowly laid it back in the ground.

"Why… why was he… I…" DM burst into more tears.

"Quiet," Jinzo said softly. "Come with me. Your friend needs rest. Swordstalker, would you please help the Harpy Lady? I don't think she can take dealing with Swordsman alone."

Swordstalker nodded and walked towards the hole in the wall that swordsman had been shot through. Meanwhile, Jinzo helped DM and Blader onto the helicopter.

"I… Who…"

"Quiet now. There's a bed over there. Sleep."

He didn't have to say it twice.

***

When DM eyes creaked opened, the skies outside were dark. He must've been out for hours. Looking next to him, he saw Blader with his hand on the bandage wrapping his forehead.

"About time you woke up."

DM stumbled over to Blader. This chopper is really spacey, he thought, and he was right. The room the two were in had two beds, a small table by the heads, and a cabinet holding many pill bottles and needles. The room itself was about the size of a small public bathroom.

"How long was… are you alright? You got hit pretty hard."

"Hey," Blader shrugged, "that robot dude just gave me a shot and wrapped a couple bandages around me, and I feel great. A little empty-headed, but all things considered, I think I'm doing okay."

"That's a relief. Good thing you're so hard-headed."

"I don't know, I think the rock got the best of me. Not gonna lie, that would be a really crappy way to go out, hitting a rock. Thing is, I didn't know if I _was_ going to die. Everything's just kind of a blur for a few minutes… Swordsman jumped on the Trap Master, then I passed out."

The small smile crossing DM's face quickly faded. Swordsman…

"…Blader…" DM paused for a moment, thinking about what to say. More like how to say it, really.

"Yeah?"

"…Swordsman… He's…"

Blader sat confused for a moment, then widened his eyes. Surprise turned into concern after a moment.

"What… What about him? Is he… okay?"

DM started trembling, but managed to whisper these two words: "he's dead."

Blader just sat there in shock and disbelief. After a moment of silence, a few words managed to escape his mouth.

"You mean… really… dead? As in…"

"Trap Master… shot him though a wall. He didn't survive."

Blader just sat there in silence. No anger. No outrage. Just shock.

"Look, I know. It's hard, I still-"

"It's my fault," Blader said softly. "If I hadn't of… joined the battle team… he'd be…"

Although DM couldn't see his face, he could see the mask soaking at the eyes.

"It wasn't you. It was Trap Master. _He_ killed him, not you."

"…Yeah, but… I just… can't get over the fact that… he's…"

"May I come in?"

The two looked to the sliding metal door to see Jinzo opening it, then nodded. He stood for a moment and looked at Blader, then sat by him on the bed.

"I can only imagine how tough this is on you. Here, have a drink. I make some killer hot chocolate, if I do say so myself."

With that, as if on cue, a giant blue robot walked into the room holding a tray with two glasses on it. He laid it down on the table as if it were a child.

"Steel Ogre Grotto, the first. Made it myself."

"Are you serious?" DM looked back and forth between Jinzo and the creature, who was then scratching his head. "From scratch? That's amazing!"

"He was the first machine I ever made. He's my number one servant. I love it as if it were my own… well, I guess it technically _is_ my own, but I think you catch my drift."

"Just where exactly are we going?" Blader asked Jinzo. "We've been in this chopper for hours and I doubt we're going back to the Coli…" he choked up a little, "back home."

"Is it not the journey that counts more than the destination?"

"Only if we actually know where the journey's going. Plus, I'd hardly call this a journey. We're in a helicopter flying Gods know where."

"And me," Jinzo said, "I know."

"That's great. You gonna tell us?"

"Hm… should I, Ogre?"

The giant robot looked at Jinzo, at the two passengers, then back at Jinzo. It shrugged.

"Ah, alright, alright, don't pester me now. We're going to my lab."

"And why?"

"For fun."

"…Fun?"

"And maybe a little testing too."

"Figures. You kidnap us, then take us to your lab to get wires stabbed into us."

"Well, someone's a little bitter. You should be more grateful to the one that saved your life."

"Wait… why were you even over there, anyway? And you just felt like killing that Trap Master? You couldn't have known what was going on."

"Well, what am I supposed to do if a possessed creature starts roaming around? Leave it alone?"

"Hold on. What do you mean, possessed?"

"Being controlled, of course."

"I know what it means!"

"Then why'd you ask?"

"Uh… How was he possessed? Why? Who possessed him?"

"Magic, to kill DM, and some celestial being beyond my power. Respectively."

There was a silence in the room. DM's mug shattered as he dropped it to the ground, but he had no reaction to it.

"…Any questions?"

"Why…" DM opened his mouth for the first time since the beginning of the conversation, "…me? As in… me, magician?"

"Mmhmm. Hate to say it, but it's true."

"Why?"

"There's something about you… You have a power not many else have. I can't quite put my finger on it, but something attracted whoever possessed Trap Master enough to want to put an end to it."

"Celestial being…" Blader mentioned, "like a god?"

"Heavens no," Jinzo said, "the Gods wouldn't want to do that. They could use all the power they can get. No, something along the lines of… Anti-God, maybe? A Devil of sorts? Something that equals the Gods' power and wants to kill you.

"Look, I know this is a lot to digest at once. I say you need more rest."

"I say not!" Blader jumped off his bed and stared Jinzo right in the eye. "Someone gets killed trying to save DM from some anti-devil or whatever-"

"Anti-God. Anti-Devil's a double negative, so-"

"I don't care! Something's out there trying to kill him, and you want us to just sleep on it? Are you insane? We're stuck in this goddamn helicopter, just waiting for someone to-"

"No we aren't."

"What now?!"

"We're not stuck in a helicopter. We're here. Welcome to my lab."


	5. Chapter 4: The Lab

**CHAPTER 4**

**THE LAB**

"…Whoah."

Woah was right. Looking out the window, DM and Blader could see a small island sitting in clear view. Sitting right in the center and taking up most of the island was none other than a volcano. More entrancing than that, though was what was outside it- a giant, steel building resided at the foot, with what seemed like hundreds of mini-building-pods scattered up and down the volcano. Each was interconnected by giant glass tubes.

"Pretty nice, if I do say so myself," Jinzo said, staring at the building. "Haven't seen it from the outside in eighteen years. It's not often you get to hunt down a possessed monster."

"Home! Yay!" Steel Ogre Grotto said childishly as it clapped its giant metal hands.

"Okay, that's sweet and all," Blader said after a couple minutes of staring, "but a volcano? Really? Have you seen, like, any movies?"

"Oh, relax, it's not going to erupt," Jinzo said assuredly. "Plus, I need to use the magma to power my lab. And it really adds to the style."

DM just kept staring. It was the most magnificent thing he'd ever seen. All those tubes… transportation, surely. It was like being in a science fiction movie.

The helicopter landed on a pad on top of the main building at the foot of the volcano. The group stepped out of the chopper and into an elevator.

"How did you do all this?" DM finally asked.

"A little mindpower can go a long way."

The elevator stopped a few seconds later and they got out. DM and Blader didn't expect what they saw- it was just a room. A really big room. There was a bed, a screen that must've been thirty feet wide, some bookshelves, and a desk in the corner. Not what you'd expect from a super-genius.

"Dude," Blader said in awe, "that's the most awesome TV ever!"

"Don't touch that! That's not a TV. My TV's over there."

He pointed over in front of the bed, there was a little analog TV. It had rabbit ears and a knob by the screen instead of a remote.

"I don't use it much."

"I get why."

"Now, this-" he pointed to the huge screen- "is Monitor. Say hi, Monitor!"

The screen booted on and a straight, horizontal, purple line appeared on it.

"This is very degrading," Monitor said, and as it spoke, the line jagged up and down based on its volume. "I'm not a pet."

"She's not used to guests. Come, there's more to see."

"Hi mommy!" Steel Ogre Grotto shouted with delight.

"Hello dear…"

And so the four walked to a door and opened it to see the volcano in front of them, soaring into the skies.

"What a great view!" Blader mentioned in awe.

"Well, it'll be more than a view in a minute. We're going climbing!"

"Wait," DM was confused, "we have to climb? Aren't the tubes for transportation?"

"Ha! No no no, it's far too dangerous for a monster to travel in, Heavens no. Do you know what would happen if you fell from that height? No, it's just used to transport storage. This is how I get my exercise. A few hikes a day can do great things. Onward!"

Jinzo was clearly the most in-shape of the pack, briskly walking up the volcano without breaking a sweat, followed by Steel Ogre Grotto. Lagging behind and begging for an end, Blader and DM trudged on.

"So," DM asked in between breaths, "why are you a robot? You couldn't have been born that way?"

"Of course not. I actually used to be Kozaky, and I studied replication of monsters. I was well-known and got funded in an instant, which I definitely used to my advantage.

"One time, however, I tried to replicate myself as a final test, but things went horribly wrong. I became deformed and was about to die, so with the last of my power, I- very dramatically- built myself a robotic suit to keep me alive. All my funding was pulled, and I had no choice but to move out here. Of course, I didn't come back without some materials, and so I made Soggy."

"Soggy?"

"Steel Ogre Grotto. Get it? SOGgy? Kind of? No? Okay then. Anyway, I made Soggy, and then he helped me make all of this. We managed to solidify the magma into metal and build from there. It took five years to get it the way it is now."

"Wait, back up," DM came to a realization, "by 'replication', do you mean, like, cloning?"

"Well, yes, but I've stopped with that. Too much life scarring. I've moved on to become a fusionist."

"Is that what you're doing to us? Is this test going to be a fusion?"

"Of course, Blader. I think it'll be fun. Besides, it's not too often you find two compatible monsters so willing to help."

"What do you mean, compatible?"

"When monsters are compatible, they form together to make one entirely new being. This is called a Justified Fusion. Usually, though, if you stick two random monsters into the machine and hit the button, they won't be compatible, and the end result will be an Unjustified Fusion. It's much more sloppy, like kind of sticking two monsters in a pot and stirring it up. Fortunately, that's why I have these handy."

Jinzo stopped for a moment and pulled out a white orb from his pocket with a red circle on it.

"This is a Defusion Bomb. When you hold your finger on the red circle for more than five seconds, ten seconds later, it bursts and shoots out a white aura everywhere within a five foot radius of it. When that happens, all monsters with two different sets of DNA will be split back into their normal selves… usually. Come on, we're almost there."

After a couple minutes they reached a little building that said "Pod G" on the doorway. As the four walked in, DM and Blader were amazed at what they saw. It was much more expected from a scientist this time around. In all, the room was about the size of a classroom. The walls were steel and there were steel tables everywhere, with colorful buttons and blueprints all round them. In the back corner, however, was the most interesting thing- two pods hooked up to a machine and a third pod in the middle.

"I take it that's the fusion machine?"

"Mmhmm. Let's try it out, shall we?"

"Please tell me you've done this before," Blader asked as he stared into the pods.

"Oh, just relax and stop being such a baby. I've used this enough times to be able to predict the outcome. Are either of you claustrophobic?

They shook their heads.

"Then you'll be fine. Now, each of you get into a pod. Soggy, would you mind getting a video camera?"

The two got into their respective pods and shut the doors. They were both overcome with fear- what if it went wrong? Was this Jinzo guy to be trusted?

"Okay, ready? One… two…"

Suddenly, both monsters felt a swirling sensation, as if their mind was being flushed out of their bodies. Their vision went from blurred to black, and then finally to a sporadic of flashing colors. After a moment of potentially seizure-inducing lights, the two finally awoke- as one.

"Welcome," Jinzo said in glee, "Dark Paladin."

Paladin slowly rose from out of the pod, but Jinzo hushed him.

"Now, now, lie still. You're the first monster subject I've had. Now, who are you?"

Paladin just lay there, confused. So many memories flooded his mind, but none of them seemed to be interconnected in any way. At one point he was a magician, another he was a swordsman… and yet, it all made sense.

"Dark Paladin, of course."

"I see. Where are you from?"

"Queen City."

"Well, that didn't help, you both are. Anyways, do you know my name?"

"Jinzo, of course. You saved us at the Coliseum."

"And who is 'us'?"

There was a pause. Paladin thought for a moment… everything that happened… it all made sense… but how?

"DM and Blader."

"So you have all of your memories from before?"

Paladin nodded.

"So you remember Swordsman?"

Paladin slowly dropped his head and came to the sudden realization that… well, Swordsman's dead. A tear escaped his eye as he started breathing more heavily.

"Aw, I feel sad…" Soggy said.

Jinzo just stared at Paladin. Pretty soon, he was getting sad too, about everything… Everything that ever happened in his life, anything to make him depressed, it all came back to him.

"…Thank you. Back in the pod, please."

Jinzo closed the pod shut and hit a button. Pretty soon, Blader and DM had reappeared in their pods and were let out.

"Whoah," Blader said as he stumbled out of the pod, "I'm dizzy…"

"It was so surreal," DM said also, "I felt like I was high for the past… how long has it been? It felt like a dream… What did-"

"That's enough for today," Jinzo said. "You can tell me all about it tomorrow. Right now, you need sleep. You should stay for a few days to recover. Here, let me show you to your rooms."

After leading the two to their Pod, Jinzo wandered back to his room to be greeted by Monitor.

"How'd it go?"

"Oh, stop it. I know you were watching."

"It's strange. I thought you'd done that experiment a million other times. You said it was the first time you did it on a monster, though. What's wrong?"

"What? Oh, I don't know… Little screwup, I suppose. Everyone makes them."

"You know, you don't have to keep up this charade. I know they don't need any recovery. Why not send them home?"

"This is their first time. I want to see if there are any after-effects."

"Are you sure you don't just want them to stay for company?"

"Goodnight, Monitor," Jinzo said as he turned out the light.


	6. Chapter 5: Unjustified Fusion

**CHAPTER 5**

**UNJUSTIFIED FUSION**

"AUGH!"

DM threw his hands over his ears and curled up in pain. Pretty soon, Blader also fell off his two-feet-too-small bed and landed on the cold ground, also plugging his ears. What was that gods-awful noise?

"Rise and shine!"

Jinzo walked into the room Blader and DM were sleeping in with a little machine in hand, just shaped like a rectangular prism with about a few-inch-wide screen.

"What is that?!" DM shouted.

"High pitched."

"Yeah, I got that, but why- AUGH!"

He continued to roll around on the floor until finally Jinzo flicked a little switch on the device and the noise stopped.

"What do you think? I call it the Lobe Alarm. It emits a high-pitched squeal to wake you up, while not disturbing anybody else! Assuming they can't hear it, of course. The older you get, the less likely you'll hear it."

"…So…" Blader said as he slowly regained his balance, "you didn't hear that?"

"Not a pitch. Great, isn't it?"

"Oh, you are so gonna-"

"Hey, what time is it?" DM started to look around.

"Five-ish."

"Are you serious?! Why'd you wake us up so early?"

"Relax, it's in the afternoon. You guys tanked for almost seventeenteen hours straight. Must've had a really rough day yesterday."

"Tell me about it," Blader mumbled.

"Actually, I was hoping you could tell _me_ about it. About the fusion. Dark Paladin."

"It was…" DM recalled, expecting the question, "surreal. Intense. Strange. Awesome."

"I don't remember it that well, but like DM said, it was surreal. I hardly remember it. It seriously felt like a dream… Except I had a different mindset. I had two minds, after all. I dunno. It was indescribable."

"Something I noticed about you," Jinzo said after he sat down on a nearby chair, "when I brought up Swordsman, you naturally got depressed. But it was much stronger than usual. It was as if both your grief stacked on top of each other and essentially magnified itself. It was so strong that even Soggy started to feel down. That's a lot of emotion, to just have an aura of sorts spreading out to others."

"Well… it's a lot of pain."

"I can only imagine."

There was a pause. DM and Blader's heads sagged at the thought of Swordsman. DM squinted his eyes to hold back tears, then resumed talking.

"How long are we going to have to stay here?"

"Not long. You'll be out in a few days."

"But I feel fine. Do we really need the recovery?" Jinzo looked at them and sighed.

"I need one more favor."

"Uh-oh."

"Don't worry, it's not bad. It might not even involve you. Follow me."

And so they walked out of their little steel pod and trudged across the noticeably steep volcano in near silence. When they arrived at another pod- this one labeled "Pod Q" and nearly identical to the others- Soggy greeted them with an indiscernible sound.

"What are we doing here?"

"I'm going to fuse." DM looked shocked.

"You? As in, _you_ you? Then what was the point of our fusion?"

"Yours was Justified."

"So," Blader asked, "who's the lucky monster?"

"I'm starting small." Jinzo picked up a small insect-like creature from the table near him and held it in the air. "Steel Scorpion. Too small to do any real damage, but if it turns out successful, I'll have three more limbs at my disposal. Can you say 'multi-tasking'?"

"And where do we come in?"

"Ah, of course, Blader. Here. I need you to take this."

Jinzo reached into his pocket and pulled out a familiar white orb.

"A Defusion Bomb?"

"If things go wrong, I'll need you to hold down the red button and throw it at me."

"How will we know?"

"Oh, you'll know. Trust me on that."

DM chuckled. "You doing this to get high?"

"Actually, things will be different this time. In an Unjustified Fusion, minds don't fuse. The stronger of the two monsters gets to control the body, while the weaker is pretty much sent to the back of the mind. They can still see through their eyes, but can't control anything until Defusion."

"Oh, I see," DM realized, "you chose the Steel Scorpion because it's clearly weaker, so you know you'll control it."

"Exactly! And now, to put it all to the test. Wish me luck!"

"Bye, Daddy!" Soggy walked over to the fusion machine in the back of the room and started tapping away at the keyboard. Pretty soon, Jinzo laid the Scorpion into one of the pods, then climbed into the other.

"Here we go. Got the bomb?"

DM looked at the orb in his hands and nodded.

"Then here we go!"

Soggy pounded the big red button on the keyboard, and the pods started to glow.

"I'm a little worried," DM mentioned, "he seemed pretty confident about this, but I dunno… Something doesn't feel right…"

"Well, worst that can happen, something screws up, and we unfuse him."

"_De_fuse."

"Whatever."

After a minute, the middle pod rattled and shook, then eventually lay still. The doors slid open, and out came Jinzo.

"Um," Blader examined Jinzo, "hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you look exactly the same…"

"Really now?"

Soon, they could see two of the scorpion's claws rise from behind Jinzo's shoulders, a little over arm length each. A tail that must've been three feet long turned to their view, stinger and everything. All of it was exactly like the scorpion's, only bigger.

"Wow," Blader said, and that word in itself pretty much summed up both of their feelings. The two just stared at Jinzo in awe.

"Are you…?"

"Yes, it's me, Jinzo. Soggy?"

The ogre stomped over to its master and replied "yes?"

"You have something on your face."

One of Jinzo's claws slowly reached for Soggy's face, then plucked a small shard that had been growing on its cheek. He creeped it back, then passed it on to his right hand.

"So delicate…"

Suddenly, he swung his tail and knocked over a desk with a few unimportant papers on it.

"…yet powerful."

"Don't go too nuts, now."

"No worries, I have it all under control. I can do… anything… with these limbs…"

It just hit DM that this must have been a huge moment in Jinzo's life. All these years studying fusion and this was the first time he did it on himself.

"Congratulations," he said to Jinzo, "you earned it."

"Well… I say we celebrate! Soggy, show these two to the dining room- we're going to feast! And give me four forks!"

Soggy smiled and escorted the two out of the pod and onto the volcano. In his excitement, Jinzo ran over to the machine and punched in a few keys. A fusion in two minutes and fifty-three seconds. Wow.

_Very impressive._

Jinzo jumped at the sound of the sudden voice. Where did it come from?

_Don't bother- I'm inside your head. Your great, big head._

"Are… are you… the scorpion?"

_Well, I guess you could say that. It makes for quite servant, if I do say so myself._

Jinzo suddenly came to a dark revelation, then dropped to the ground in fear.

"You're… you're the… anti-god… You possessed the scorpion when I fused with it…"

_With as smart as you are, I would've thought you'd figure that out earlier. Oh well. Easier for me. _

"How did you… I'm stronger than the scorpion! How are you in my head?!"

_Sad to say, I'm stronger than you. I channeled my power through the scorpion, and so I win. What do you know?_

Jinzo leaned his head back. How could he have missed it? He should've noticed the scorpion's green eyes… but in all the excitement…

_And, for the record, I'm no anti-god. I'm the Devil_.


End file.
